Pudhina Pulao/Mint Flavoured Rice..

Mint or Pudhina as it is commonly known is an aromatic perennial herb and its leaves are widely used for culinary purposes.
It has a natural fresh,cool and refreshing flavour and a cool after taste..
Mint is good in the cure of gases,nausea,body aches,poor digestion etc.
There are many recipes which call for this herb and the one which i'm going to share here is a very simple and flavourful dish which i learnt from my friend K after coming to the US.
Thanx K!!
It is mint flavoured rice or Pudhina rice with just the simple ingredients.
They are:

Ingredients:

Mint- 1 medium sized bunch

Green chillies-2 nos.

Garlic-2 pods

Ginger-1/4 inch

Cinnamon-1/2 inch

Cloves-4 nos.

Bay leaf-1 no. (optional)

Rice-1 cup (any long grain white rice or leftover cooked rice works great too)

Ghee-2 tbsp

Oil-1 tbsp

Roasted Cashew to garnish-1 tbsp (optional)

Fried paneer -10 cubes (optional)

Procedure:

1.Cook rice separately and allow it to cool.

2.Meanwhile heat some oil in a pan and saute all the ingredients mentioned above except the rice,ghee,bay leaf and paneer,adding the mint leaves towards the end.

3.Switch off the heat and let it cool and then grind it into a smooth paste adding very little water if necessary.

4.Now heat the ghee in the same pan and add the bay leaf and add the paste.

5.Cook it for a few mins on low flame till you the see the ghee coming out from the sides of the mixture.Add the fried paneer now if using.

6.Switch off the heat and add the cooked rice and give it a gentle stir taking care not to break the rice.Let it sit for about ten minutes.

7.Garnish with some broken cashews and a few drops of lemon if needed.

8.Enjoy it along with some raitha and chips!!

And that was how it looked with the fried paneer and cashews..